The Dentist

Hannah and Hailey had their first dentist appointment today. As some of you may know I am a stickler for oral hygiene. I have never had a cavity but due to some lovely issues with my teeth not falling out on their own, having my two front teeth knocked out repeatedly (first by a golf ball and then my a softball) and my cuspids/canines growing on top of my jawbone instead of beside it I have have had to undergo my teeth being pulled, shoved back in and several oral surgeries. Did I also mention this is my second time have orthodontic braces? I never want my girls to have a to suffer through any type of dental procedure, especially if it’s due to lack of hygiene on my part while they are still young.

We’ve been prepping for this day for awhile now and I really thought that the girls would do great but I always seem to forget how shy they get around strangers. My kids are in no way, shape or form “shy” but the moment someone they don’t know speaks to them they clam up and try to hide behind each other. The waiting room was nice and the girls read a book or two and waited patiently consistently asking me if it was their turn and when they could say “ahh”. Their excitement was gone the moment the dental hygienist started talking and went to get the dentist. Hannah was to go first and she shut her mouth and hid her face so far into my chest I thought I would have to get a crow bar out! After a little fussing she finally let the dentist look in her mouth and everything was fine. Hailey did a little better but she still was not happy with me for letting some strange man put a mirror in her mouth. After it was said and done they gave the girls each a balloon and we were out the door with an appointment in six months to perhaps try a cleaning next time.

I was able to get confirmation on their being “mirror image twins” while at the appointment. (Mirror image twins are monozygotic twins that form from a single fertilized egg. When the split occurs late - more than a week after conception - the twins can develop reverse asymmetric features. This term is not really a type of twin, just a way to describe their physical features. For example, they may be right and left handed, have birthmarks on opposite sides of their body, or have hair whorls that swirl in opposite directions. About 25% of identical twins are mirror image twins.) I always noticed that the girls seemed to teeth on opposite sides but I because their teeth all came in so quickly it was difficult for my to tell for certain. The girls each have 19 of their 20 “preschool teeth” and their final molars are, without a doubt, coming in on the opposite sides. The dentist even remarked that the way their teeth are aligned were even opposite. Between the hair whorls, birth marks and teeth I can now saw with confidence that the girls are mirror image.